Articles Tagged With: Monthly Payment

December 31, 2019

Apply For An FHA Loan

If you are considering any type of home loan, be sure to explore your options with FHA mortgages, refinancing, or reverse mortgages. FHA loans offer a variety of advantages over conventional mortgages including lower interest rates (based on your financial qualifications), built-in protections for the buyer, and more. FHA New Purchase Loans There are many options with an FHA mortgage for single-family homes. New purchase loans include the option to add extra funds to the loan for energy-efficient upgrades or improvements. You can also consider purchasing a fixer-upper using an FHA rehab loan where funds are made available to repair/upgrade the property to FHA minimum standards. The loans mentioned above are intended for owner-occupied residences and would be not be available for investment properties. An FHA new purchase loan or | more...

September 26, 2018

What Happens If I Pre-Pay My FHA Mortgage?

By Bruce Reichstein

What happens if you pre-pay your FHA mortgage? FHA home loans are known for having no pre-payment penalty but there may be certain steps the borrower is required to take in order for such pre-payments to be used as intended. The date of your FHA loan may make an important difference in how you are to proceed; it’s best to discuss pre-payment options with your loan officer ahead of time to learn what, if any, additional lender requirements may exist above and beyond the FHA loan standards we’re discussing here. What follows is NOT lender policy but the FHA loan rules. Lender requirements may add to or further develop these FHA guidelines. FHA Home Loan Rules For Pre-Payment On Mortgages Closed On Or After January 21, 2015 FHA loan rules | more...

June 18, 2018

What If I Miss A Mortgage Payment Before Applying For An FHA Refinance Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

What if I miss a mortgage payment before applying for an FHA refinance loan? That is a question on the minds of some borrowers going into the refinance loan planning stages. What should a borrower do if they are worried about a missed mortgage payment? The first thing to understand is that FHA home loan rules for credit-including on-time payment requirements for new mortgage loans, are not the only standards which will apply. We could quote line after line of FHA regulations pertaining to refinance loan approval and missed or late payments, but lender standards will also apply above and beyond FHA loan rules. In general, FHA loan rules prohibit new loans for any borrower currently delinquent on an FHA mortgage. A loss mitigation program designed to prevent foreclosure may | more...

Online Mortgage Calculators For First-Time Home Buyers

April 6, 2018

How Much Is My FHA Mortgage Payment?

By Bruce Reichstein

How much is my FHA mortgage payment? Many borrowers want to get an estimate to figure out how to budget for a mortgage payment, but it is easy to forget that calculating a home loan payment involves more than just doing the math on the principal and interest and the term of the loan. How much will your FHA home loan mortgage payment be? Much depends on what applies to your loan besides principal and interest. For example, you will need to learn how much property taxes are in your area, you will need to know what comparable homes are selling for in your chosen housing market, etc. What’s My Monthly FHA Mortgage Payment? HUD 4000.1, the FHA loan handbook, spells out all the things that will be included in | more...

June 15, 2017

Do I Need FHA Mortgage Insurance?

By Joe Wallace

In a recent blog post we discussed the differences between FHA mortgage loans and conventional home loans. One of the most important differences between FHA mortgages and conventional loans is the mortgage insurance requirement. Conventional loans may, depending on the size of your down payment and other factors, require the borrower to put as much as 20% down. Those who do not put a certain percentage down on a conventional mortgage may be required to carry private mortgage insurance (also known as PMI). FHA home loans, on the other hand, require a minimum 3.5% down payment and have no private mortgage insurance requirement. However, FHA mortgages do require the borrower to pay for mortgage insurance. This requirement includes an Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) and a monthly payment (MIP). | more...

June 13, 2017

The Down Payment Requirement For FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loans, much like their conventional counterparts, have a down payment requirement. However, unlike conventional loans, the minimum down payment requirement for FHA mortgages is 3.5% of the adjusted value of the home. This lower down payment requirement is one of the main advantages of the FHA mortgage. The basic amount of the down payment varies with each FHA mortgage since the payment is based on the value of that particular home. Additionally, FHA mortgages require a specific FICO score range (580 or better) for maximum financing. Borrowers with FICO scores between 500 and 579 will be required to put down 10% instead of 3.5%. Additional lender standards may also apply. Calculating the amount of your down payment is only part of the process. FHA borrowers must provide down | more...

June 13, 2017

What Is Mortgage Insurance And How Does It Work?

By Bruce Reichstein

“What is mortgage insurance?” is a common question for those new to the home loan process. Do you understand how it works? It helps to define the two things referred to by industry professionals as mortgage insurance. There is mortgage insurance which the borrower pays for as a requirement of the FHA loan, then there is the “mortgage insurance” referred to in FHA loan rules which is something else entirely. Note: What we are discussing here is not hazard insurance, which may be a requirement on some, but not all FHA loans. FHA Mortgage Insurance For The Lender The FHA single family home loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, refers to “mortgage insurance” when discussing the FHA’s role in insuring the loan to reduce the risk for the participating lender. On page | more...

May 25, 2017

FHA Refinance Loan Basics You Should Know

By Bruce Reichstein

If you have an existing home loan, you may be qualified to apply to refinance that loan with an FHA mortgage. This option can help you get cash out based on the value of your home, or it can help you get into lower mortgage payments depending on the type of loan you are eligible for. Which FHA refinance loan is right for you? FHA Cash-Out Refinancing Cash-out loans are for qualified borrowers with FHA or non-FHA mortgages. Cash out refinancing allows borrowers to get cash back when there is money left over after paying off the original mortgage, plus any applicable fees. Cash-out refinance loans guaranteed by the FHA require both a new credit check and appraisal. The new appraisal is required in order to determine the current market | more...

April 6, 2017

Credit Report Data, Disputed Accounts, and FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

Borrowers are often advised to give themselves plenty of time in the pre-purchase planning stages to review credit report details to make sure there are no errors or outdated information. What happens if a borrower does see something on a credit report and chooses to dispute it? Ideally, issues like these should be caught very early in the planning stages. You should check your credit report as early as one year prior to the home loan application in order to give yourself enough time to dispute items if required. But not all borrowers have that much time to deal with such issues, and FHA loan rules address disputed accounts in detail. HUD 4000.1, the FHA single family home loan rule book, has two sections on disputed accounts-one for derogatory credit | more...

March 28, 2017

FHA Refinance Loans For Lower Interest Rate Or Fixed Rates

By Joe Wallace

FHA refinance loans are an option for borrowers with existing FHA mortgages. But there are also options for non-FHA borrowers to refinance into FHA loans and get the benefits of having a lower interest rate or other options that come with FHA mortgages. Refinancing a home loan can have a variety of benefits depending on the financial needs and goals of the home owner. There are many reasons to refinance including the desire to get into a lower interest rate, to get out of an adjustable rate mortgage, and sometimes even to fund repairs and upgrades to the property. What does it mean to refinance a home loan? The answer depends on the type of transaction you need and the reasons you wish to refinance. For those who are looking | more...